Pompeii Reborn
by PrinceZero
Summary: Modern AU: Aang returns to New York after years to be recruited by Toph as an undercover FBI Agent. His mission: Retrieve information on a new gang that has risen in the underworld known as The Phoenix. With this, he hopes to find answers to the event that left him scarred for a lifetime. Somehow, he ends up caught in the midst of danger and his only savior is the enemy.
1. Welcome Back

**A/N: Hey, Prince Zero here. I've returned after a very… **_**very **_**long hiatus and for leaving without warning, I'm terribly sorry. At first, I was caught up with school. It suddenly just thrust me into a spiral of work and stress. And rather than escaping the stress through writing, I kind of got more involved with tumblr and things got worse with my RP blog. Oops. Well, anyways, I'm back and starting off my return with a new story. Just a fair warning to older fans, I'll be updating some fanfics and deleting most others. **

**Now then, to introduce this story: This is an AU taking place in modern time in New York City. I'd also like to give a few shout outs. Thank you to Sablefalls for inspiring me. He/She is not just one of the best Azulaang writers, but also one of the best writers I know of period. If it wasn't for her/his fanfics, I wouldn't have been inspired to fall in love with this pairing as much as I have and my account would still just be here, collecting cobwebs. **

**Now, I have to give out special thanks to Lavenderhilllove, my beta reader. She has been my absolute best supporter. She's always there to give me a muse when I need it and her words of encouragement are what have kept this story going so far. Her criticisms and compliments are always so perfectly honest and precise that it helps me do the best that I can do thanks to her. She's not only the best help, but also worthy of being a best friend. I owe her a lot and together, we've kind of sailed the Azulaang ship around the seas and gained new crewmembers along the way. So, cheers to you for being so kind and helpful!**

**On with the story.**

* * *

The office for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, more commonly known as the FBI, was on high alert as always. Papers flew everywhere, phones ringing, officers bustling about the room on their way to get something productive done or rather just blow off the day. It was complete organized chaos. This particular division, located in Manhattan, was on the 23rd floor of the Federal Plaza building. Despite having just a single floor of space, the flat was large enough to fit the fifty or so employees that worked there, committed to their daily duties and working studiously at desks when they weren't out chasing criminals. However, the field agents who were expected to do desk work by late afternoon mostly avoided paperwork at all costs until it was absolutely necessary. The only one who could get out of doing it was Toph Beifong.

She was a dedicated agent and a tough one at that. In fact, everyone had already assumed that when their current director chose to retire, she would rise through the ranks and take the open position. She was all about beating up the bad guys and the fact that she was blind didn't limit her at all when it came to tracking them down. This disability, which she played off so nonchalantly, was why she had no obligation to do her paperwork. Yet she was still expected to type out status reports every now and again. While she would normally be sitting in her office trying to toss paper into a wastebasket around this time of day, Toph was actually working and working fast. The change of usual routine didn't go unnoticed by coworkers who watched her frantically type on her Braille keyboard. By 4:30 she had finished and hurriedly stood up, wrapping her coat around her body to protect her against the January chills.

She turned to Marshall, a buff black man who normally accompanied her on missions but wasn't necessarily a 'partner' per se considering Toph, more or less, preferred working alone. "What time is it?" she asked

He pulled out his headphones and glanced at his watch. "Half past four but where are you-?"

"Perfect, I have enough time to make it to the airport. If the boss asks where I went, cover for me! Thanks!" And before he could even get out another word, she was out the door and waved her hand at the side of the street till a taxi stopped in front of her. As she stepped in, she felt around the car to make sure it had all the necessary parts of the backseats of taxis to make sure she wasn't stepping into some random vehicle. That would be highly inconvenient.

"Where to?" The man behind the wheel asked her in his thick accent.

"Lenox Hill Hospital and step on it." Toph ordered, holding out her badge to the driver who got the message and drove off swiftly into the busy road. She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out her phone then said into it, "Call Katara." The phone obeyed and she waited for the ringing to stop signaling that she had picked up. Once it did, all Toph said into it before hanging up was, "Be outside in ten minutes."

The cab came to a screeching stop in front of Lenox Hill hospital. Toph told the driver to honk a few times, much to the annoyance of passerby while impatiently tapping her foot. Eventually, a fit, tan and admittedly beautiful young woman in scrubs hurriedly got in the car with a bouquet of lilies. "Took you long enough, Sugar Queen. Take us to Newark." She said with a hint of annoyance while the car again drove faster than was safe in the roads of the big city.

"I actually work at work, Toph. I can't just get up and leave whenever I feel like! And why did you have to honk so many times? I told you I would be out soon before you hung up!"

"You were supposed to be out when I pulled up!"

"You were supposed to pick me up an hour ago!"

"Well… I had something important to do." This 'important thing' was a quick trip to her favorite steak restaurant. "Just be happy you're coming, Katara. You wouldn't have if I hadn't convinced you." For a moment, Katara bit her lower lip and hesitated before speaking as the car swerved left and right to pass the other vehicles crowding the narrow roads.

"Thank you for that, Toph… How do you think he'll react when he sees me?"

"I don't know. I mean, the guy has always been like a puppy. He'll probably scoop us up into hugs. Don't worry so much." Katara laughed softly at that.

"Yeah, probably. What did you need him for again?"

"That's classified, Sugar Queen." A scowl formed on Katara's face. Toph had refused to reveal anything regarding this other than the fact that she managed to convince him to come back. It had been seven long years since she had last seen him and she could only wonder how he had changed in all this time.

They were together since her senior year in high school. When she went off to college, they didn't grow distant. He visited her every weekend without fail and their love grew. He had tried to join her at Harvard but those were expectations he couldn't meet and he just ended up attending the University of New York. They grew distant after that. He was too busy with his schooling and so was she. They barely got to meet but he had never stopped loving her. Katara on the other hand, didn't believe their relationship would survive. For two years, they desperately tried to reconcile and get back to the closeness they had once shared but it just didn't happen to her. For a long while before her graduation, she debated what she should do. Eventually, Katara chose to end it and thought that if it was in their fate, they would end up together again.

But after their break up in college, he had dropped out and decided to join the Peace Corps. Last she heard of him, he was traveling the world, lending a helping hand in any and every way he could. Katara always loved that about him… He always wanted to be a hero and to bring a light to a seemingly humanity-deprived world. Katara became lost in memories of what she called the 'Golden Days' when they were all together; those years before they had parted ways.

It seemed that she had been lost in her musings and nostalgia for decades, absentmindedly staring out at the buildings and cars as they flashed by, only to be snapped out of her trance when the taxi came to a jerking halt, throwing her against the front seat. "Come on, Sugar Queen! We have to be there right when he steps off that plane!" Toph said to her before paying the driver extra for his suitable speed and running into the airport. Katara followed suit and took Toph's hand once she caught up with her.

Newark Liberty International airport had to be one of the most crowded and busy airports in the country. Considering New York was a breeding ground for businesses and tourists, the airports were always filled no matter what day of the year. Somehow, they managed to push past the hoards of people returning and leaving and disrupted lines of people waiting to buy their tickets. Katara guided them to notice board where a mass of people were huddled together. She pushed her way through and searched the list of arrivals.

"There!" Katara said pointing to the plane that had just landed ten minutes ago from Chad. Katara immediately pulled Toph along with her to the left atrium of the overwhelmingly large airport. She paused to avoid running into vehicles carrying passengers, trolleys and large groups of travelers much to Toph's annoyance.

"We'll miss him if we go at this pace, Sugar Queen!" Toph yelled before she pushed on ahead of her and roughly cleared the way.

"Wait! Toph! You don't even know which way to go!" Katara called after her as she apologized to the people she shoved away while trying not to lose her.

"Just tell me how to get there!" With a sigh of frustration at Toph's usual antics, Katara tried to keep up and told her when to turn left or right. She didn't need guidance on how to avoid things. Toph had this uncanny ability to sense every single little thing around her. She hated having to rely on people but more than that, she had despised how her parents had treated her like an injured bird her entire childhood. She chose to defy the unjust card dealt to her by fate. Late at night, she would sneak out of her room and walk around, feel the ground under her feet. She would sense every movement; every vibration course through her blood till the earth became a part of her being. All on her own, she had turned her blindness into an advantage that allowed her to see things others could not and over the years at honed this ability into a sort of superpower.

Toph and Katara tried not to get carried away by the swarm of people or get stopped by security for the chaos they were leaving in their path. The way that they dropped down suitcases, pushed away people, and hopped over obstacles made it look like they were running an Olympic marathon. They had no intent of slowing down for nothing get in their way.

They had been waiting so long for this and had lacked proper communication with him for years. The first year after his departure, they didn't get a single response from him and assumed he would need his alone time. No one even knew where he was deployed since he refused to reply to the messages they mailed to the Peace Corps, hoping it would reach him. Eventually, he started making periodic calls with long intervals in between but he would tell them of a few of his adventures. Yet Katara never got the chance to speak to him. Or more so, didn't want to face him but a while ago she had realized just how much she had to see him… how much she was dying to just hear his voice again… how much she wanted to tell him she was sorry. It wasn't until Toph had proposed something to him that he promised to return the following year. And at last, they would be reunited.

Once at the gate, Katara watched while people waited to meet their loved ones once more. Passengers began flooding out of the terminal, running to those waiting for them. The tide of arrivals eventually began to wane and Katara took a moment to catch her breath. When she looked back up, the door was closing and not a single familiar face had appeared.

"Did you see him?" Toph asked.

"No…" Katara responded dejectedly, still desperately searching over the crowd of people.

"Wait… that can't be right." Toph said with her brows furrowed. "He promised he would be here! He always keeps his promises!" Katara pursed her lips and thought for a bit.

"Maybe… maybe he missed his flight." She offered with hopefulness.

"No, he would have called and told me! He isn't the type to break promises." Toph insisted crossing her arms over her chest before she stiffened in shock. _'Wait a second! I know those light footsteps anywhere!' _

Suddenly they each felt a hand on their shoulder and heard a gentle, husky voice spoke from behind them, "I'm definitely not." Slowly, the girls turned around and were greeted by a familiar, friendly face. The man was tall and handsome, with sharp features and grey eyes so warm and loving that they could melt the coldest heart. He had a thin beard along his jaw line and scruffy, short dark brown hair. He stood out from the crowd with his features so kind that they were breathtaking. Not to mention his attire consisting of red skinny pajamas, brown boots, and a yellow silk robe tied together by a red sash made him look even more foreign. But what especially distinguished him, from probably just about everyone in the world, were the light blue arrows that started at his hands and continued down the length of his arms. If one were to take off his clothing, they would see that this arrow stretches down the length of his back and legs, like some sort of serpent winding along his body.

Toph and Katara just stood there silently, shock and curiosity mixing into a single emotion of befuddlement. The young man blinked at them and waved his hand in front of their eyes, unsure of what to do. Katara's lips slowly turned upwards into a smile and her deep blue eyes began to brim with tears as she whispered softly, "Aang…" Meanwhile, Toph's expression of wonderment turned to pure rage. She threw a hard punch at his gut, causing him to grunt and hold his stomach in pain.

"THAT'S FOR LEAVING US FOR YEARS, TWINKLE TOES!" she screamed at him with her hands firmly on her hips. Katara gasped and threw her a glare.

"Toph!" she scolded her but didn't receive even the slightest hint of regret.

Rather, Toph just shrugged and said calmly, "He deserved it, he knows he does."

Katara was about to argue again before Aang started laughing and grabbed them both into a tight hug. "She's right, I did… And I'm sorry. I missed you all so much." he whispered softly. They both wrapped their arms around him and held him tighter.

"We missed you too, Twinkle Toes." Toph replied before pulling away. "Come on. We need to catch up and you and I have to talk." Aang nodded and walked alongside Katara while Toph led the way, assuming she remembered which way she had turned. Katara nervously played with her hair and stared at the ground, not knowing what to say or how to begin. A sort of awkwardness still existed between them. Perhaps, she was just the only one feeling it but judging by the way Aang looked off anywhere but at her said otherwise. She cleared her throat until he looked at her and handed him the bouquet of white lilies. They were his favorite.

He gave her a sweet smile, one that she had missed and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into a tight hug. "Thanks, Katara. I haven't seen anything like these in a while."

She had so many questions to ask him about his adventures; where he had gone, what he had seen… but all she managed to say was, "I like your hair." Aang gave her a quizzical look for a second before realization dawned on him.

"Oh yeah! I always had my hair shaved, huh? Well, I never really had time to cut it much. I think I'm attached to it now." She still wanted to ask her questions but that would come later when they were all back at the apartment complex where they lived together. Katara fondly remembered days they would hang in each other's flats on different days, talking endlessly till the sun came up. Those were the Golden Days.

* * *

It was nearly 7 o'clock by the time they had reached Katara's apartment and once they finished recollecting the past seven years over a nice dinner, it was well past midnight. Aang had told countless tales of his travels. He had spent the past seven years in third world countries building schools, aiding in agricultural development, and just recently helping genocide refugees from Darfur find a home. It was work that never ended and left him with so many lessons as well as mental scars. Many horrendous sights would plague him for the rest of his life. But he learned to live with them because with every heartbreaking sight, he was more encouraged to continue doing what he was doing.

Aang became incredibly active with the Peace Corps and had hundreds of stories to share. He had taught English to children in Ethiopia, developed new crops for economic growth in Ukraine, and built homes for the nomadic people of Mongolia. Along the way, he had made many friends, mostly children who loved his own childish personality. He learned so much about himself in this 'journey of self discovery' as he called it. Of course, he couldn't list every little thing he had done because that would definitely take weeks to recount at least.

Katara had to leave some time around 3:30 since she had work in the morning, leaving Aang and Toph alone at last. Toph sat there for a moment, her arms crossed over her chest with a smirk on her face. "Well, Twinkle Toes looks like you've become a man now. Not that I can really see the change or anything, but from the feel of it, you've changed." He laughed timidly and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Thanks, I guess. You changed a lot too. That tomboy stage seems to have passed." Toph had always loved sports even though she couldn't watch them but just feeling the action unfold with her feet was enough for her. But wrestling had always been a pastime she enjoyed. In fact, she was a bit of a wrestler herself. Whenever Aang or any of her friends, really, would get harassed or bullied, she was the one who would put a pummeling on them. Aang didn't expect her to have such a great womanly form and face and as far as he could see, she wasn't even wearing makeup but still looked fairly attractive.

"Oh, please. You and I both know that will never pass. I beat up criminals for a living, for god's sake."

"Good point. How is that going for you, anyway?"

"It's a bit more hectic than usual. I kind of wanted to talk to you about that… and you know what I'm talking about." The mood suddenly darkened. It went from nostalgic bliss to a grave intensity. All Aang knew from what Toph had told him was that she may have a resolution to the problem that had been plaguing him since he was twelve.

"You found out… who killed my people?" Aang whispered, staring at her with a coldness coming over his usually cheery eyes. Toph took a deep breath before answering. This was a touchy topic for Aang and few knew of the fact… few knew of his past.

He had been a monk living in the mountains of China till the age of twelve. They taught him everything he knew from spirituality, to loving all things, to the many powerful martial arts techniques he knew. From a young age he had been drilled in the most trying techniques any monk could ever withstand. With the other monks of his age, he'd hike up the mountain in under twenty minutes, and crawl back down on his hands and knees. The afternoon was basic drilling in Shaolin, Tong-Qi Gong, and Baguazhang martial arts in which he thoroughly excelled. And till dusk, the training and meditation would continue, training his mind and body to endure the harshest strain and as he aged, Aang remained top of his class. At eleven, he was given the arrow tattoos that were custom to their tradition – marks only given to those with wisdom beyond their years and who had reached a significant level of spiritual enlightenment. Though it would take anyone else years to attain such marks, Aang was given them very early on from the amount of potential he displayed.

The monks had told him that he was left at the door of the monastery as a baby. All that came was an envelope with the words, "Take care of Aang." There was no surname written so the monks decided on one for him when he was eight. They could see that the unique young boy was destined for great things. He had such a way with words and people and had a creative mind and a heart more spirited than any known animal. He was like a reincarnation of a pure divinity with not a touch of evil in his heart and they could have sworn he was a character straight out of their old texts. Thus, they named him Aang Chuánqí, 'Aang, One of Legend.' The name was picked for him by his favorite teacher, Gyatso. Aang saw him as the father he never had. He loved him more than anyone. All the monks raised him with love despite the fact that he didn't look as completely Asian as they did. Sometimes though, his playful antics were met with strict reprimands. Although never from Gyatso; he let Aang learn from his mistakes. Because of him, Aang had grown to love the peaceful and serene lifestyle of the monks and couldn't dream of anything better.

But his safe haven came crumbling down the day helicopters, machines he had never seen, flew overhead the temple that had become his home. Down came men carrying guns and tools of mass destruction. Aang had never explained the event in complete detail. He only described it as genocide, plain and simple. As he ran away from the sounds of bullets and screaming, he tripped over bodies of teachers and friends and somehow ended up coated in the blood of his brothers. They didn't last long at all. His peaceful people, with only their defensive techniques in martial arts, could do little against the modern technology of these new invaders. His home was burned to the ground. Only a handful of boys escaped with him. On the trek of many miles to get to China, he lost most of the survivors to thirst, hunger, or the bites of poisonous creatures. By the time they were discovered by a man driving to meet his mother in the country, Aang, a boy who was barely alive, and another with just enough energy to trudge were the only ones left.

They spent months in a hospital in Hong Kong. Their story spread through the country like wildfire: the last survivors of the genocide of Tibetan monks. No one knew who had been responsible or what the reasoning behind it was but the three boys were famed for surviving the event. Aang was the first to recover and was immediately sent to an orphanage. He had begged to stay with his brothers but he was told that they would be joining him soon. However, a family from America quickly offered to take the boy in. He never heard of the last of his people again.

Toph said she had a lead of some sort to this tragic event in his past. It was vague but it was something. There was hope in him that fourteen years later, he may find the people responsible and bring them to justice.

"It's not much to go on…" she said at last. "But a gang of sorts has formed here in the states. Not just here, but all over America. Their roots trace back to Asia. Call themselves The Phoenix or something corny like that." She said with a roll of her blank eyes. "We know very little about them and the CIA can't get any information about them from security services in the countries they are currently known to have operated in. They refuse to share information. Who knows why…?" Toph paused for a moment and took a long swig of her glass of red wine. "With what little we know of them, they've been operating for quite some time and just started becoming noticeable in the U.S. about… three or so years ago. They're known to be guilty of drug smuggling, fraud, thievery on mass levels, government corruption, and get this… mass murder."

She quieted and let all of it sink in for Aang. There were far more details that were involved with this investigation but she only included what was necessary for him to know. Besides, she didn't know much herself. Toph was usually given the most mandatory of details through her director and was sent into the midst of danger with what she knew. But in this particular case, intelligence and anonymity was required more than brute force that she could offer.

"Mass murder… well, that could mean anything, really. Are you sure it's -?"

"I told you, Twinkle Toes. It's not much but it fits. I personally don't know what reason a gang desiring money and maybe even world domination would want with having conducted a suicide of peaceful people but leads like this have never come up."

"Okay, well even if it is all true… What part do I play in it? You said you needed my help with this" When Aang had received the call when he was in Nepal, Toph had told him very little information. From what she had told him, the FBI and CIA couldn't get the job done but he could. That had left him completely confused. He wasn't really a fighter though he knew just about every form of martial arts known to man, courtesy of the monks and his adoptive parents who insisted that it would be good for him.

"Besides the fact that FBI and CIA agents never return when they go undercover to investigate," Toph said with a grimace, "We needed more discreetness in our approach to find out about them. What better person for the job than a hippie monk who's been disconnected from the world for years?"

"Wait, don't return? What do you mean?" Aang tried to mask the panic in his fight but he knew it was futile with Toph who could hear and sense every emotion running through a person.

"As in poof; never seen again. We're assuming they may be able to track down background information of agents and know whose who when they see them. Maybe they capture them and kill them or give them a chance to become one of them. It's all one big mystery. But you… you have no past records. All you have is your adoption papers, school records, and then work in the Peace Corps. I would know, I've checked."

"Wait wait wait…" Aang said, massaging his temples from confusion of what exactly she may mean by all this. "You're telling me… that I'm going to be working undercover for the FBI to… gather information on these people? That could be dangerous." He reasoned but not with fear in his voice but more with apprehension. "And what if I have to hurt someone?"

"Aang, I talked with my director who talked to head of the division about this. It's a fair plan and they're willing to give it a chance. We know The Phoenix base operates here in New York City. We have a few names and pictures of suspects. All you need to do is attend a couple of shady hang outs which could be restaurants, clubs, parties and stuff. Did I mention these people are filthy rich? You can get yourself into some pretty awesome places."

"Toph, that's not my main concern. What I'm worried about is what if they see right through me?"

"They won't." She said with complete confidence. "And besides, the only reason I was allowed to let a friend of mine take such a top secret, confidential mission is because I told them everything about that day and what you've been through since. People think we authorities don't have sympathy and we don't really… but that's for criminals." She said with a short chuckle and another swig of her drink. "But it's more than their sympathy for you. You were only twelve at the time but you've been looking into this case for years. You've gathered things about the people who conducted the genocide and if these are those people, you have an advantage that no one else will have. They fit the crime and I _know _that all that time with that peace organization didn't take away that drive you had to find out what happened all those years ago."

There was a long pause after this and Aang absorbed every bit of information. Toph had somehow convinced her director that Aang was best suited for going undercover and gathering intelligence on a gang that had been operating in the United States for maybe over three years, were known to be highly dangerous, and who captured and got rid of anyone that tried to catch them. After sixteen years, Aang had actually lost hope for finding the people responsible for that dramatic turn in his life and he just stopped searching. He felt that it was hopeless. But Toph was right. Despite all the time that had passed and his lack of motivation in more recent years, he wanted to know who did it and this small flicker of hope for justice long overdue could very possibly be just what he had been waiting for.

A part of Aang felt that this was all a dream… The idea that at last he was taking a step in learning about that day was something he hadn't thought of in so long. He had to keep trying for his people. He looked straight at Toph, took a deep sigh, and finally replied, "I'll do it."

* * *

**That's all for the first chapter, hope you enjoyed. I promise it will get a lot more interesting in later chapters. **


	2. Training

The sun rose in the east, beginning its trek along the brisk morning sky. Sunlight seeped in through the window of Toph's small yet lavishly decorated one bedroom apartment. In size, it was humble and not too large but the interior décor was exquisite. Toph's distinguished family, the Bei Fong's, spared no expense in their daughter and wanted her to live the life of luxury away from home. So, they had gotten her the best, stylish contemporary furniture their money could buy. It was just a shame she couldn't see and therefore couldn't appreciate the beauty of her own home. Aang had noticed it to some degree before he knocked out on the plush green couch in the center of the room late last night.

His own apartment had been sold for a while now so he would have to make do at Toph's place. It wasn't a bad set up considering he got to live in a sleek apartment but staying with Toph came with certain difficulties. For example, sleeping late wasn't an option, especially not when she had plans in mind for him.

It was six in the morning and Toph was already dressed and ready to go. She had expected Aang to have woken up by now like he normally did for morning meditations. But when she walked out of her bathroom, she couldn't feel Aang's gentle heart beating or his light footsteps treading across the apartment. All she could really sense that indicated he was there was the sound of his soft breathing as he slept. With a smirk coming across her face, Toph walked over to the couch and with one deep breath, lifted it up so that the sleeping monk rolled onto the floor.

"GET UP TWINKLE TOES. You have work to do!" She felt Aang's heartbeat quicken as he lay against the floor.

"Huh?! What?! What time is it?!" he said in the sort of delirium that normally hits a person from a sudden wakeup call such as the one he was just greeted with. Rubbing his eyes to shake off the slumber, he looked up at Toph as she threw a towel at him.

"It's time for you to get ready. Go hit the shower. I'll get breakfast ready."

"Wait but… where are we going?"

"You'll see. Now go." Aang pushed himself off the ground, walked over to the calendar at the far end of the wall and gasped.

"I have to pick up Appa and Momo today!" Toph gave Aang a weird look.

"You have to pick up who and who now?"

"They're my pets! Appa's my pet dog and Momo's my monkey!" While he was in the Philippines, Aang had spotted a small white and brown puppy hiding behind a store, starving and alone. There was no collar on him and Aang, with his love for animals, ended up taking in the pet as his own and naming it himself too. Normally, he turns stray animals over to a shelter but Appa always found his way back to him. Momo on the other hand had a much more humorous entrance into his life. He met the curious little creature in India. While out on a hike, he stopped to have some lunch but every time he set down a fruit or sandwich, it disappeared the next second. Aang had figured it was some hungry animal and let the matter go and continued on his hike. When he got home, he had discovered that he had a stowaway in his backpack. He was unlike any monkey he had ever seen with his grey eyes, large ears, soft white fur, and thin tail but he was simply too great to let go.

Over the years of his travels and hardships, Appa and Mom went everywhere with him and in a way, became his family. Aang went nowhere without his companions. Unfortunately, he wasn't allowed to bring him on the flight with him and was told he could pick him up at a local shelter the next day.

"Still an animal lover, huh? Alright Zookeeper, tell me where to pick them up from and I'll have Katara do it. Now go get ready!"

"But where am I-"

"GO!"

"Geez, fine…" Curiosity was nagging at the back of his mind but the years away from his friends had not impaired his memory of them. When Toph didn't intend on giving out information, she would stick to it. After all, she liked observing the fear of the unknown that occurred as a result. With a sigh, Aang pushed himself off the floor and trudged into the bathroom. '_What did I get myself into?' _He thought to himself with a groan.

* * *

"Hey there, my name is Brooke Anderson. Toph's told me a lot about you. It's Aang, right?" said the trainer in a thick Australian accent while shaking Aang's hand and curiously looking at the tattoos tracing down his arms, back, and legs. She was tall and slender with wavy blonde hair and bright blue eyes that matched her one piece swimsuit. Her perfect, golden tan that covered every inch of her smooth, toned body made her look like she had just walked right out of a summer beach catalog. For a moment, Aang was left speechless before Toph nudged him in a not-so-discreet manner.

"Oh uh… yeah it's Aang. It's nice to meet you, Brooke." Aang took a glance around the voluminous indoor swimming pool. Long, clear windows covered three walls of the large rectangular room. To his right, Aang could spot boats drifting along the river, the sun reflecting off the currents. Past that, the towering skyscrapers of the city loomed over the gentle, still water like giants. Majority of the room was an extensive pool, divided by rows of blue buoys. It had been a long time since Aang had seen water so clear and transparent. On either side of this pool were reclined chairs and a small set up for yoga. It was a truly picturesque setting and the only real problem Aang had with it was how cold it was.

"Nice to meet you too. Now, knowing Toph, I assume she hasn't told you why you're here." Aang shook his head. "Well, to sum it up, we're putting you through a crash course of sorts. You won't be doing any real FBI training yet but we'll be working on your physical abilities."

"So… why are we at the pool?"

"It's your first step into training. It works every muscle in your body and builds up endurance."

"How long will I need to do it?

"Long as you can." She said with a wide smile and walked off to her lifeguard chair on the other side of the pool but not without first giving Toph a pat on the shoulder. The immediate moment she did, Toph pushed Aang into the pool with a sly grin on her face. Brooke gave Toph a smirk as she took her seat. "Thanks, Toph. You can go out and have some fun. I'll take good care of your friend."

"I count on it. Don't go easy on him." Aang brought his head up and looked at the two in confusion as Toph walked towards the glass doors at the end of the room.

"Isn't the saying… go easy on him?" He asked with a quirked brow.

"Not here." Brooke answered. "You're going to have to learn basic things that agents take years learning and mastering in a short period of time. There's no time for play. Besides, far as I know, you're fighting some big evil, aren't you?

Aang pondered this for a moment. In a way, he was fighting evil. He just wasn't entirely sure if these were the people he's been looking for. Nevertheless, he kind of perceived it as his duty to see this through, just to bring justice to the crime committed against him personally and who knew what else this group was responsible for? He sighed and was about to ask more questions but the sound of her whistle cut him off. "Now come on! Let's do this. It'll be fun, I promise. Now start swimming!"

By the end of the day, Aang had run countless laps. It was hell given his highly amateur swimming capabilities. Thankfully, Brooke was kind enough to allow intervals between laps. But he had endured and even though he was pretty much limp by the time Toph came for him, he had actually enjoyed the familiar feel of pushing himself to his limits.

The usual company of Appa and Momo was enough to soothe the mild pain when they got home. Toph wasn't very happy about having a monkey and a dog staying in her apartment and neither was the landlord but all it took to convince her was a considerable amount of money. Toph wasn't pleased about that either but Aang had pleaded incessantly to make the arrangement doable. By morning, he was refreshed and as energetic ever, ready to face whatever she had planned next.

Aang was well out of practice and knew he wouldn't be able to handle as much strain as he would have been had he completely stuck to his early training regime, but for the sake of finally being able to put his dark past behind him and bring justice to the people who had ruined everything he had known as a child, it was a trek he was willing to see through.

* * *

The following weeks, Aang felt that he had adapted into a fish. His instructor was kind and lenient after the first day and let Aang advance at his own pace. Soon, he was swimming like a pro. His previously thin body had become more toned and lean. As far endurance went, Aang could practically go an entire afternoon swimming back and forth without break and still feel energetic. Brooke was quite impressed with his improvement. In fact, she had had admitted that her student had become skilled enough to trump her.

In that time, Aang barely got the chance to just relax or catch up with Katara and Toph. He wanted to hear about what they had been doing these past few years or about Katara's brother, Sokka. As far as Aang knew, Sokka had pursued a career in the Navy whereas his girlfriend, Suki, was in the Army.

As much as Aang wanted to chat, he was simply too exhausted when he came home and he tended to avoid Katara entirely if he could. There were still certain things he hadn't come to terms with about their break up yet even after all this time. It would have been much better to talk it all out with her personally but Aang tended to avoid facing things head on. It was in his evasive nature.

When Toph finally announced that he wouldn't have to go through the training anymore and would have to practice on his own time, Aang was overjoyed, knowing that he had conquered one segment of his training. The next day he found himself at the gym facing a very different trainer.

"Larisa Volkov." she stated her name simply with a scowl as she looked over Aang, contemplating him.

"Hi, I'm Aang." He smiled at her kindly. This woman was small but incredibly built. She wore a tank top, fitted yoga pants, and tennis shoes. What made her especially intimidating were her dark, squinted eyes, sharp cheekbones and exemplary physique. Just when Aang felt like he was going to tremble under her harsh stare, Toph walked into the private room and it seemed that all the strictness in Larisa's face leaked away.

They hugged and wrapped their arms around each other's shoulders as they both observed Aang with devious smirks, making him suddenly feel very uneasy. "Have fun with the kid. Teach him to have a little backbone." Aang couldn't help but frown at the jab directed towards his avoid and evade lifestyle that she knew about all too well.

"Oh, don't worry. When I'm through with him, he'll be made of steel." Larisa confirmed before Toph promptly walked off while loudly slurping on her smoothie. Aang sighed and turned to his trainer with a questioning look.

"So uh… what are we going to be practicing?" Larisa walked up to him, hands behind her back, and smiled in a way that was meant to be sweet but came off as more devilish. Suddenly Aang found himself on the floor, pulled down by the weight of two dumbbells that were dropped into his hands.

"Building muscle mass. You're going to see men much bigger than you, probably even stronger. We can't have you getting beat up on the job, now can we?" She answered with crossed arms

"But…" Aang paused for a moment as he considered this. "I don't want to hurt people." Her features didn't soften but she dropped her arms to her side.

"Toph told me you might react that way. Some things you just have to do. Toughen up. Given certain situations you can't avoid hurting a few people here and there. especially not in your case." Aang still gave her a skeptical look as he leaned down to lift up the heavy weights with a grunt. "Tell you what. When we get to the hand-to-hand combat, which I've heard you have some experience with, I'll teach you how to fight without any serious damage. Lucky for you, you're already great with martial arts. Now you can put all you learned back then to the test." Aang smiled at this and nodded in agreement. "Alright then, let's get to it softy. No breaks."

If Aang thought the swimming was tough, weight training was even more so. There really were no breaks except for water. Other than that, Aang had to lift pound after pound of heavy metal. He could recall that the older monks at the monastery would have to carry buckets of water up the mountain over their shoulders to build strength. But being a young monk, Aang had only learned flexibility, endurance, and mostly defensive tactics. Larisa assured that he had strained just about every muscle in his body. With everything he had gone through, she told him he would be lucky if he could even move in the morning. Fortunately he could but his muscles remained stiff as cinderblocks for many days afterwards.

* * *

In time, Aang grew accustomed to the military drilling that Larissa had instilled in him. It wasn't too different at the monastery. In fact, she was a Marine so she _really _knew how to push him to his limits. She would call him at random hours of the night and tell him to meet her somewhere for instance a hill or a building with about twenty or so stories of staircases and ordered for him to climb or jog. It was truly like going through military fitness training and eventually, he began to get used to her constant whistling and crude shouts of perseverance. Many aspects of this new lifestyle reminded his time with his martial arts masters. But Larisa was much less about peace and tranquility than they were.

Aang had arrived in mid-January and Toph was given till summer to assure that he got all the proper training he needed in order to join the force. Two and a half months had passed in which Aang had worked diligently with vigor to get in the best shape possible. It gave him something to do so he eventually stopped complaining about the stress it put him through. In time, it became easily bearable and Aang treated his body like a temple. He ate right given his vegetarian appetite and worked out frequently but the problem was that Aang didn't have a sweet tooth; he had sweet _teeth_ and tended to overindulge in sweets. Toph tried to stop him but to no avail. It only made sense with how sweet his nature was.

With only a few months left to train, Aang was left with his last trainer. He was a male with two scars along the right side of his face. One went over his eye, the other just barely touched his ear. They were long, stitched lines that almost reached his mouth. Despite his own wonderment as to how the man got the mark, Aang didn't question him. He looked like an irritable type as it was with his permanent scowl, wild bush of white hair, and squinted eyes.

He was far from the big city this time. They were surrounded by grass and trees and little else but a few metal human figures with circles around their bodies. With horror, Aang realized what he was learning this time. He and his new teacher were standing a distance away from the targets behind a table. The man with the scar brought out a seemingly heavy box and unlocked it then orderly set up its contents on the table. They were all objects Aang had feared since the day he saw them.

"The name's Jeong Jeong." he said simply as he picks up a gun from the desk and cocks it backwards. He aims it at the human targets and presses the trigger. It hits the figure right in the head. Aang couldn't help but cringe. The loud booming sound it made resonates in his ears and brought back horrible memories of screams and blood. "Have you ever handled a gun before?"

"No… I haven't. And I'm not sure I want to."

"Ah, you're one those peaceful types, huh?" he said with a hot blow of air. "You can't be an agent without knowing how to wield a weapon. Not unless you want to die."

"I-I don't want to kill… I can't!" Aang exclaimed with more sureness, stepping away from the black weapon that had been in so many of his nightmares. There was no way he was going to be like _them._ Jeong Jeong gritted his teeth in frustration.

"You will _have _to."

"I'm not taking a life."

"She warned me you'd be like this…" he muttered under his breath, most likely referring to the friend who got him in this situation to begin with. "Fine. How about we make a compromise?" Aang raises a brow at this proposition. "Just listen to basic precautions and rules about handling a gun at the very least. Then if you're willing, I'll teach you some shooting and from what we know about The Phoenix, you may have to learn something about using swords too. It's one of their preferred weapons. "

"But I won't be able to kill anyone… ever." It went against everything Aang believed in. From an early age with the monks, he had been taught that all life was sacred. That's why he was a vegetarian, why he never fought anyone in school despite being able to, why he always remained tender and genial in his personality. It was a virtue he could never go against because it was one he valued most. His first experience with witnessing murder had only strengthened that resolve.

"Just learn the basics - stealing a gun, avoiding a bullet, reloading, wielding a sword – that type of stuff." Aang nodded. The self defense he could handle. After all, it was in his nature to do so. "Think you can't even learn to shoot?"

"I told you already that I-"

"I get that, okay." Jeong Jeong growls with a scowl, getting more enraged by his unreasonable code of ethics. "But at the very least… _If _it comes down to it, and trust me when I say it will, you're going to at least want to know how to fire a gun."

"But I don't want to-"

"AT LEAST LEARN!" Aang stepped back at the sudden outburst. Jeong Jeong seemed to be radiating heat off of him. He had seen too many people die that he had trained himself and this young man was just a boy in comparison to his sixty years. Suddenly, his past comes back to haunt him and a sort of empathy took form in him. Stroking his beard, Jeong Jeong took a deep breath and looks up at Aang with an apology in his eyes. "I myself have killed many and I regret it every day of my life but there was nothing I could do at the time. Guns and swords are dangerous tools. I'm not telling you to make the same mistakes. All I'm saying is… that it may just save your life and with what you're getting yourself into here, kid… you're going to need this." He thought a bit more before speaking again. "The fact that you refuse to kill people who deserve it makes you better than most. I won't teach you how to kill. I'll teach you to injure a person in places where you can disable but not brutally harm them. Deal?" It was the best compromise he could make with him.

Aang considered this for a while. He wanted to avoid touching the weapon altogether. It was something that held bad memories for him personally but if he had any hopes of finding out about his past, he would have to make some small accommodations to his own values. "Deal."

"Good." he said with a sigh of relief. "Now the first step is to keep steady."

* * *

Again, weeks passed quite monotonously for Aang. No matter what time of day he was practicing and honing his skills for when he would be thrown into the midst of what could be incredibly dangerous. However, his mood never dampened despite this looming pressure being thrust upon him. Not to mention, he didn't exactly know what he was getting himself into. But his trainers were always willing to encourage him and become his source of motivation. Especially Brooke who constantly egged him on by advising him to keep his hopes up because he would be doing the world good by putting forth the effort to stop these criminals even if they weren't who he's been looking for even if sometimes he just wanted to give up.

Nonetheless, Aang stuck true to his usual optimism. He continued trying to have fun and his trainers, even irritable Jeong Jeong and cold Larisa, had grown a liking to the cheery guy who knew how to joke around and find some small joy in training. Often times, he convinced them to go out for lunch or a movie with him and in a way, they become close acquaintances. Yet he still managed to find openings in his schedule for Toph and Katara as well as his pets. It seemed that even with that burning desire to expose the truth of his path, he chose to take breaks and just live.

When his time to train ran out, Toph had gotten official approval from the board of directors to allow Aang to be part of the team as an undercover agent after typing up a detailed report of his progress. There was a sort of thrill in it for him. It was like he was part of an action thriller movie. Of course, he figured that once the actual danger arose, he wouldn't be so fond of the idea but for now, he had to look at it with a positive outlook. However, despise his constant preoccupation with training and occasional fun, a sort of guilt plagued him continuously.

In all the time since his arrival, Aang hadn't gone to meet his adoptive parents, Nick and Jordan Clark. They were busy most of the time when he was young but they were kind nonetheless. He only knew them for five years of his life before they passed away in a car accident on the way to his high school graduation. He was devastated for months. In the short time he did spend with them, Aang had grown to love them though more along the terms of a friendship. The basis for a parent-child relationship was never truly established. But he still felt that he owed them a visit. After all, they gave him a life that he was now thankful for.

Now that Aang had completed his crash course and was given some breathing space, he figured now was as good a time as any to visit. Katara offered her Aang her brother's suit, insisting that he wear it for the trip. He hadn't worn a suit in years but complied. Perhaps it was fitting considering his parents were businessmen who were rarely seen not wearing suits. With Appa riding shotgun, he took the four hour drive to Washington D.C.

* * *

Two large, burly men sat at the bar of an underground pub in the less desirable area of Washington. Their backs were hunched over their drinks as they spoke in quiet whispers over the sound of loud rock music.

"Why did the boss send us to get it from them?" asked the first one as he lit his cigarette.

"Because, he's too damn scared." replied the other, much more muscular one with a grunt.

"Can't blame him. From what I hear, this Phoenix group is a living nightmare. They take down anyone and everyone that goes against their better interest."

"I heard worse. They're well-equipped and ruthless… sprung up from Asia after basically conquering the entire underworld there, even manipulating the governments. Now they're after the states… going to take us all out of the picture if we don't follow along." He took a swig of his beer. "They're just arrogant shits if you ask me."

"But then again… they've only been here three years. Three! And everyone knows their name. The cops, FBI, no one can track them."

"It's all _her _doing." The man says in a suddenly more malicious whisper. "No one really knows her name, but she does a lot of her father's dirty work and gets the word out there that you shouldn't mess with them. They say she's scary as hell but I doubt it. She's just a _woman_." He spits the word like it's a curse. "What can a woman do? I bet you I'd be able to take her, no problem. And from what I hear about her beauty… I'd take her in a lot more ways if I ever crossed her. I bet you she's just some crazy bitch."

"Is that so?" spoke a third, venomous voice behind the pair. They spun around in their stools and met fierce golden eyes. She was a woman dressed in simple black tights, heels, and a small leather jacket that accentuated every firm curve of her body. Though she wasn't tall, her fit figure was blatantly obvious, almost as much as her beauty. Perfect, red, pouty lips were curved the slightest bit in a contemplative smirk. Her black silky hair was bound in a bun atop her head by a decorative golden clip in the shape of a flame, worn like a crown on it with only two strands of hair falling out of place, framing her thin face. Yet her most distinguishable feature were those eyes… burning through the very skin of the men before her with a glare that would scare the devil.

The less vain of the two men shrunk back in his seat while the other, tried to match her glare. "Who are you?" He grumbled as his eyes feasted on her like a lion eyeing a piece of meat.

"I don't think scum such as you deserves to know my name. Where is your boss?"

"N-not here." replied the one who had taken to cowering before her. This sight pleased the woman.

"How dishonorable to not meet a business partner face-to-face. It's a wonder why my father wants to associate himself with the likes of him."

"What I'm wondering is who the hell you are." The braver, stupider man stood up and started walking towards her. He took a hold of her hand and pulled her roughly against him. "Tell me or else you're the one that's going to be dishonored." Her face hadn't faltered one bit which made him a bit nervous. Normally, women showed fear or terror when he grabbed a hold of them but not this one.

"I believe you called me… a crazy bitch? The one you would be able to take?" She replied with a quirked brow. The man's complexion morphed from one of arrogance to one of bewilderment. "Because we're in public, I'll let it slide but you would be wise to unhand me and give me what I came here for."

"Not a chance, babe." He replied as his eyes scanned down her body, taking a peek of her ample chest and pulling her closer."If anything, I'm going to be taking you home."

"Oh how I hate making a scene… I'm giving you another second to use your brain." The other man stood up and put his hand on his partner's shoulder.

"I think you should really listen to her I mean she's-"

"I don't give a shit who she is. She's just a woman after all." he said, leaning his head down and rubbing his lips against her neck. "She couldn't hurt me even if she-" It all happened in a flash. It was hard to see with the smoke of the pub clouding the air but one could decipher the small form slipping around the bigger one. There was a crash, a frightening crunch and then the sudden sound of a scream followed by a gunshot. The few occupants of the establishment scurried to the door but the accomplice of the man who had just taken his last breath found himself slammed against the floor with a gun held to his head.

"Listen closely." The woman said, kneeling in front of him. "You tell your boss to meet me himself or he won't get anything. We don't conduct business with cowards. Got it?" He nodded his head vigorously. She stood and started towards the door but stopped midway. Without turning around, she addressed him again. "Let him know my name. He'd do well to learn it and fear it. It's Azula… Azula Liu." And without another word, she was gone.

* * *

The visit was melancholic to say the least. He felt it necessary to tell them everything he had done in the past few years, all the things he had accomplished, and every way he had matured. By the time he left, night had fallen. He had laid out a bouquet of their favorite flowers, white roses, on their grave beds. Once it started raining, as it often did in the city, Aang started the drive back but not without a stop at a local coffee shop to keep him awake during those four hours.

Leaving Appa in the car, Aang walked into the small shop with a folder in his hand. It contained a portion of the information for the broad mission he was assigned. He had yet to even glance at it and was expected to know everything by memory by next week. It would prove difficult but Aang was fueled with a strong motivation. After all, this was no different than his work in the Peace Corps. He was helping people by doing this and more importantly he was a step closer to solving the mystery behind a grand injustice. Perhaps after this was all put to rest, he could sleep peacefully at night and lay away the constant pain that resided in his chest.

The scent of coffee beans rushed out to meet him as soon as he opened the door. It had a soothing affect. It made him even more comfortable seeing that the small establishment was nearly empty. He ordered a caramel macchiato with a chocolate muffin but apparently it wasn't very smart to walk with his order in one hand and read an analysis of recent relevant crimes simultaneously. While doing so, he ran into a woman who was less than pleased as a result. Thanks to his quick reflexes, the beverage stayed steady in his hands and didn't splash onto any clothes. However, his papers weren't so lucky.

"Oh, damn! I am so sorry!" Aang apologized immediately. The woman looked up to face him after checking over her clothes. He instantly became still under the unnatural glow of her bright, almost golden eyes. They were a color he'd never seen before but more fearsome than that was the look of murder.

"Better be, idiot." she responded in a cold, displeased sneer. Aang's smile never faltered however. He simply nodded his head and watched as the woman walked off with a sort of elegance. A part of him silently wished to never cross paths with her again considering the overwhelming bitterness she could produce in simply three words. His gaze followed her till she reached the door, and for a second he could have sworn he had spotted what looked like a tattoo of a blue flame underneath her wrist. Shrugging the entire situation off, he took his seat at a booth while trying to get his papers dried.

* * *

**A/N: Next chapter will be out soon, I hope you enjoyed! Next chapter has to be my favorite so far. **


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